Austin
by agirlandherfeels
Summary: Olivia is working undercover in Austin. She calls Elliot and gets a surprise. Please R/R! :


**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own SVU. Dick Wolf and the people at NBC do.**

Don handed me my new assignment. "Cap, you can't be serious."

"Sorry, Olivia. You're the only one here who fits the description. It shouldn't take you too long...a month at most."

I had been disappointed, to say the least. When I told Elliot I needed to take some time to figure out where I wanted our relationship to go, I hadn't planned on skipping town completely. Sure, this wasn't a voluntary assignment - I wasn't choosing to run away - but, still, I was going to be away - in Austin, Texas - for an entire month. To him, I would be running away - again.

I stood and began gathering my things. Elliot had already left for the day; one of his kids was sick. I thought about leaving him a note, but I didn't. He had my cell number; if he needed me before I could call him, he would call me. I would call him when I got to Austin.

"Bye, guys."

"See ya, Baby-Girl," Fin called. Munch waved.

When I arrived in Austin, my phone was taken by the local cops, and I was told that I could only use the one they provided for me while I was undercover. It didn't cross my mind that that was the only way Elliot had to contact me, and that I hadn't called him, until I was at my temporary apartment.

As the next few weeks passed, I became more and more involved in the case. It became clear that I would not be going home anytime soon. _"I hope Don told Elliot where I am...I hope he isn't too worried. He knows I'm coming back...doesn't he?"_ I still didn't call Elliot; it would have been too dangerous.

More time passed, and, before I realized it, a month had turned into 6 months, and then a year had passed. We were finally able to close the case, but I had to stay in Austin for another week or so to finish up my paperwork so that, hopefully, I wouldn't have to fly back out to testify at a trial. I did, however, take the time to call Elliot, hoping he wouldn't be too angry with me for not calling sooner. I would have, if I had been able. The phone rang a few times before the answering machine picked up, and I heard Elliot's voice say, "If your calling about the '05 Explorer, it's already sold. If this is Tuesday night, I'm probably bowling with my kids. If you're just calling because you want me to buy something, you can hang up now. Anybody else? You know what to do. Oh, and if you're calling from Austin...I still love you."

I dropped the phone. There was no way I had heard that right. It had been a year since we had seen each other...Hell, it had been a year since we had even talked. He said he still loved me. _"What am I doing?"_ I thought, _"There's no way to know the last time he changed his answering machine. I'm pretty sure he was trying to sell that car before I left. And, anyway he didn't specifically say it was me he was talking about. I'm sure I'm not the only person he knows in Austin. It's a big city."_ I quickly decided that I would give it a few days before I tried to call him again.

Three days later I picked up the phone to try Elliot's number again. _"What the hell am I going to say if he picks up?"_ I was...in luck? Once again the answering machine picked up, not Elliot. As I was about to hang up, I noticed that the beginning of the message was different this time, so I kept listening. This time, Elliot was saying, "If it's Friday night, I'm watching my son play football. If it's Saturday morning, we've gone fishing at the lake. We'll be gone 'til Sunday afternoon. Leave your name and number and I'll call you back when I get home. And if this call is from Austin? I still love you."

I managed to leave my new cell phone number, but no other words would come out of my mouth, so I hung up. I didn't know what to think, much less say. He had changed his answering machine message since I called the last time, but he still said he loved...me? Well, not exactly..someone in Austin.

Sunday afternoon, it was impossible for me to get any packing done. All I could do was wait by the phone. It finally rang around 4 o'clock; his number showed on the screen. I let it go for a few seconds, working up the nerve to answer it. When I did, words just started flowing out of my mouth. I said, "If you're calling about my heart, you can have it. I should have listened to it more. If I had, I would have realized what I wanted a long time ago. Oh, and by the way, this is Austin. I still love you."

Elliot was silent; I was afraid that he had hung up on me. "El?"

"Liv. Are you really...I mean...Are you sure..."

"El, I've never been more sure of anything before in my life. It only took me a couple of hours out here, without you, to realize that I really do love you, well, I already knew that, but that I really am in love with you. I want to be with you...in a real relationship."

"Liv, I want the same thing. When Cragen told me where you were, it was all I could do not to get on a plane and fly to Texas to be with you. But I knew you needed some time..I didn't know it would be a year though."

"Neither did I, El." I looked at the clock. "Shit. I have to be at the airport in an hour and a half, and I've barely packed anything."

Just before we hung up, I heard him say, "I love you, Livvy."

"I love you, too, El," came out of my mouth, before I had a chance to think about it. "I'm coming home, El...I'm coming home."


End file.
